# Cabinet Humidor Project - Restoring Retail Humidor



## penguinshockey (Aug 31, 2010)

So for the last several months I have been throwing hints about "maybe" needing a larger humidor. My 500 count and both 100 count humidors are full. Plus I have 1 large and 2 small coolers that are nearly full.

Wasn't I surprised when my wife and kids gave me this humidor for my birthday that they found on Craigs list. It's a retail unit maybe about 15-20 years old and she thought it would be a fun project for us to restore (inside and out). The guy she bought it from said it cost around $1200 new with the humidifier and all (didn't get the humidifier due to its age). The humidor had been stored in his garage for the last 10 years or so.










It is constructed on a solid wood frame base with MDF sides and top with what appears to be Honduran laminate on the inside (definitely not SC) and a wood grain laminate on the outside. The back appears to be a 1/4" sheet of luan plywood inset into grooves in the rear of the MDF sides. The four shelves were constructed of Spanish cedar and are in excellent shape however. They are adjustable via metal shelving tracks stapled into the sides. The sliding glass doors are in good shape with hardly any corrosion in the door tracks. As a whole it is in good shape although a little out of square and not a rigid as I would like.

So the initial challenge was to square up and stabilize the unit. I cut a new back for it out of 3/8" plywood and attached it to the side and top with screws to square and stabilize the whole unit. That was a huge improvement.










The next step was to remove and discard the shelve tracks that ran from top to bottom on each side and seal sides and back.










I ordered new 1/4" Spanish cedar from Bristolvalley.com. It was delivered in about a week and I am currently cutting it to size and installing it using Titebond Ultimate glue.










I should be finishing the Spanish cedar tomorrow or the next day. I'm also working on my own version of large scale active humidifier. I also need to come up with a way to better seal the doors. The sides are ok as there is a rubber seal already there which is still in good shape. The top and bottom tracks may be a challenge. Any ideas you all may have will be appreciated.

I'll update with more pictures as I go. Stand by . . .


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## Evonnida (Jun 1, 2010)

Looking good!!!


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## CBR (Mar 31, 2010)

Wow, nice project humidor! If you run out of storage in that thing you can safely say you need to smoke more or buy less!


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## dragonhead08 (Feb 3, 2011)

Lookin forward to update pics.


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## usrower321 (Mar 27, 2011)

CBR said:


> Wow, nice project humidor! If you run out of storage in that thing you can safely say you need to smoke more or buy less!


I guess you haven't seen smelvis' or shuckins' stash. :faint:

Awesome project! I love threads like this. There are some pretty darn talented BOTLs on Puff


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## penguinshockey (Aug 31, 2010)

usrower321 said:


> I guess you haven't seen smelvis' or shuckins' stash. :faint:
> 
> Awesome project! I love threads like this. There are some pretty darn talented BOTLs on Puff


I've seem 'em.

I'm not there yet by no means however give me a few more years! Actually I've slowed down on the buying end due to a few medical bills. My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in January. Fortunately it was non-aggressive stage 0 (caught very early). She finished radiation treatments in April and is doing great! Anyway there have been a few bills to pay. Of course now that I've reached my maximum out-of-pocket amount, everything medical until December is 100% insurance and 0% me!!


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## CBR (Mar 31, 2010)

penguinshockey, all the best to your wife and family.


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## penguinshockey (Aug 31, 2010)

CBR said:


> penguinshockey, all the best to your wife and family.


Thanks CBR. With the cancer gone, we're all moving forward. It is an eye-opening experience though! Her Oncologist told her she is the poster child for why women should get,routine mammograms. Early detection is the key.


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## Rock31 (Sep 30, 2010)

Very nice! Look forward to the progress!


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## usrower321 (Mar 27, 2011)

penguinshockey said:


> I've seem 'em.
> 
> I'm not there yet by no means however give me a few more years! Actually I've slowed down on the buying end due to a few medical bills. My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in January. Fortunately it was non-aggressive stage 0 (caught very early). She finished radiation treatments in April and is doing great! Anyway there have been a few bills to pay. Of course now that I've reached my maximum out-of-pocket amount, everything medical until December is 100% insurance and 0% me!!


I am very glad your wife caught it early! I wish you and your family the best.

My last post was directed to CBR (I quoted his post to respond to his comment), but I don't mind nudging a BOTL down the slope a little. :smile: Welcome btw!!

What's your first name so we don't keep calling you penguinshockey? haha. You can go to your profile and edit your first name so it shows up on all of your posts with your state and all that.


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## penguinshockey (Aug 31, 2010)

usrower321 said:


> I am very glad your wife caught it early! I wish you and your family the best.
> 
> My last post was directed to CBR (I quoted his post to respond to his comment), but I don't mind nudging a BOTL down the slope a little. :smile: Welcome btw!!
> 
> What's your first name so we don't keep calling you penguinshockey? haha. You can go to your profile and edit your first name so it shows up on all of your posts with your state and all that.


Sorry about that. I was in a hurry this morning before work and overlooked the quoted text I guess ... Anyway I added my first name as you suggested.


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## CBR (Mar 31, 2010)

penguinshockey said:


> Sorry about that. I was in a hurry this morning before work and overlooked the quoted text I guess ... Anyway I added my first name as you suggested.


Nice humi, Jim!:smile:


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## David_ESM (May 11, 2011)

One hell of a project. Can't wait to see the final result.


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## ShawnBC (Feb 28, 2011)

Will look very nice once fulled! Nice find from your wife!


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## NoShhhSherlock (Mar 30, 2011)

that is a nice looking project! That thing will hold a good amount of sticks.


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## penguinshockey (Aug 31, 2010)

6/15/2010 Project Update:

First of all - I appreciate the comments so far.

I finished gluing in the Spanish Cedar tonight and sanded everything using 220 and then 320 grit sandpaper. 











With the time I had left I started working on the bottom shelf that will serve as a false bottom to hide the humidifier I have been working on. I glued, cut and sanded the shelf and now all that is left is to cut the hole for the humidifier exhaust and either drill holes or cut slots for the return air. The shelf is just propped up with some extra wood for now just so I could visualize how to position the supply and return openings. The humidifier and power supply cords for the fans and LED strip lighting will be hidden underneath.











I have just about finished the humidifier - it's been about a week in the making. The design is pretty simple although it's not pretty! Unofficial testing so far shows that it raises the humidity about 15-20% above the inlet air humidity. It will be controlled with a humidistat that I bought on Craig's list for $20. So far the total cost including the humidistat is in the neighborhood of $60.











It's basically a generic Tupperware container with a snap lid that I sealed with rubber weather stripping. The wick is just a square humidifier replacement wick that I found at Lowes and cut to fit. I used some additional weather strip to hold the wick in place and seal around it. The fan is a 12v 80mm, 2400 rpm ball bearing PC case fan (Cooler Master) with a 34cfm rated flow (and is also quiet).



















Stand by for more updates . . .


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## penguinshockey (Aug 31, 2010)

7/23/11 - Project Update

Well the inside is pretty much finished. I have been extremely busy and haven't been able to get a lot done on it the last month. Fortunately - it has been so humid outside (and in my garage) that it is actually seasoned. I brought it inside to finish the outside and it has been maintaining a rock steady 75% humidity for two days now. Hopefully by the time I am done it will have dropped to 65% so I will be able to immediately stock it.










The humidifier goes in the bottom and discharges through the hole. There are two other fans inside to help create a clockwise air flow - all controlled by the humidistat. I also installed LED lighting on the inside frame of the inner door so it is in the center when the doors are closed. The LED lights are controlled with a remote control dimmer. They are really too bright without it.

I am finishing the outside with a combination of maple plywood, pine trim, and a pine top. All of the laminate the you now see will be covered along with the gold door frame. I go on vacation in two weeks and I need my coolers back so the goal is to finish it by next weekend!!


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## dougdog76861 (Jul 12, 2011)

looks awesome cant wait to see it full ! 

cheers


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## brotherwilliam3 (May 17, 2010)

Great work! Its amazing what time and elbow grease can accomplish. Have fun stocking it up


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## Dizzy (Mar 19, 2011)

CBR said:


> Wow, nice project humidor! If you run out of storage in that thing you can safely say you need to smoke more or buy less!


CBR, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with your opinion. If he runs out of room he should bomb the hell out of our puff B'sOTL who are serving overseas :smoke:


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## penguinshockey (Aug 31, 2010)

Well - after 2 months of on and off working on the humidor project - it is finally finished. Below are the before and after pictures. My humidification system has been regulating humidity at precisely 65% for two weeks so I am calling that a success at this point. I have moved all my cigars from their temporary coolerdors however I still have a little organization to do.

BEFORE:










AFTER:










My somewhat disorganized stash . . . .


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## yaqui (Apr 11, 2011)

Awesome job. Beautifully done. And what a stash of stogies!


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## quo155 (Aug 10, 2010)

Great job brother! The after...is awesome...you must be proud!!!


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## smelvis (Sep 7, 2009)

Awesome job oh how I miss woodworking it looks great Jim!!! Also Congrats on the wife I have a friend who was in the exact situation this last year catching it at the best possible time means great results I know it was and still is a big issue so my prayers are there for you both.

Now enjoy that beautiful humidor brother!

Dave


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## bwhite220 (May 15, 2011)

Beautiful!!!


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## JPinDC (Feb 14, 2008)

Amazing!


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## penguinshockey (Aug 31, 2010)

smelvis said:


> Awesome job oh how I miss woodworking it looks great Jim!!! Also Congrats on the wife I have a friend who was in the exact situation this last year catching it at the best possible time means great results I know it was and still is a big issue so my prayers are there for you both.
> 
> Now enjoy that beautiful humidor brother!
> 
> Dave


Thanks Dave. Everything is going great and the wife is in excellent health. She reminds me almost every day to enjoy one of my cigars. I can't ask for anymore than that! 
In fact I averaged over two a day on vacation last week. Of course there's not too much more to do at the beach anyway.....


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## penguinshockey (Aug 31, 2010)

quo155 said:


> Great job brother! The after...is awesome...you must be proud!!!


Just imagine how it would look if I really knew what I was doing!!!


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## fanman1 (Sep 6, 2010)

great job on the cabinet and what an incredible stash!


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## JumboJoseph (Aug 11, 2011)

Can't wait to see this bad boy done and filled. Awesome find from your wife, and very nice of her to buy it to. OMG I didnt even look on to see if it was down. JUST WOW AMAZING WORK MAN! looks like a little store in your house lol! Enjoy!!!!!!


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## jordanwimb (Aug 5, 2011)

Beautifully done. Someone said it earlier - very talented people here.


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## penguinshockey (Aug 31, 2010)

JumboJoseph said:


> Can't wait to see this bad boy done and filled. Awesome find from your wife, and very nice of her to buy it to. OMG I didnt even look on to see if it was down. JUST WOW AMAZING WORK MAN! looks like a little store in your house lol! Enjoy!!!!!!


Thanks! 
I still need to total up my expenses. Let's see... 
Humidor ------------ $125
Spanish Cedar ----- $215
Ext. Wood/Trim ---- $82
LED Lighting --------- $75
Humidifier parts --- $36
Humidistat ---------- $30
Fans & PS ------------ $40
Finishing Supplies - $42
Misc Supplies ------- $55

TOTAL ----------------- $700

At the outset I figured my cost would be around $600 but then I decided to install the LED light strips and extra fans. I did save a bit over buying one this size though. I was also a little concerned that I would not be able to get the sliding doors to seal well enough but it looks like the air leakage is small. My house is air conditioned at about 50% RH. I think winter will be the ultimate test with woodstove heating. The humidifier isn't running much now though and maintaining 65% RH.


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## falconman515 (Jul 10, 2011)

Thats a hell of a cigar cabinet bro!

Not bad for the price by any means ... and even more priceless since you did the work to it!


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## lukesparksoff (Apr 21, 2010)

Very Nice , the trim is a nice touch


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## quo155 (Aug 10, 2010)

penguinshockey said:


> Just imagine how it would look if I really knew what I was doing!!!


Yea, but you did some really trim work...looks great!


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## yourtwiztidph8 (Aug 22, 2011)

Great work. Loving the stash


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## n00b (Jul 18, 2011)

very nice..


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